Lean, Mean and Lonesome

Lean, Mean and Lonesome
Annette Broadrick

MEN of the YEAR MAN of the YEAR "Me, lonesome? Hell, I'm too mean to ever get lonesome." - Rafe McClain, ornery ex-Texan Love? Mighty scarce in Rafe's hardscrabble life. So he'd learned to live solo - and liked it that way. Until a mysterious plea for help had the restless, ruthless mercenary headed back to Texas like some dashing white knight. And there waited delicious Amanda Crenshaw, the rancher's daughter who'd once, indelibly, branded his heart.Taking what Mandy offered proved impossible to resist. But soon Rafe would be gone again. Unless Mandy could transform this lean, mean loner into the loving family man he desperately longed to become… .Some men are made for lovin' - and you'll love our MAN OF THE MONTH!

Rafe Was A Survivor. (#udc344e85-23dd-5129-84c1-f94f18ec73a9)Letter to Reader (#u1911c116-18ce-55e2-b06a-7bcdbcc98f7d)Title Page (#uafd31aa2-5fcc-5183-83f5-11b1655df960)About the Author (#u648ed2cd-ca76-5fda-8bbc-71bcc4a7e684)Dedication (#u38ab8e9b-b6db-51c9-aeee-2195b773da6f)Chapter One (#ufe633816-dbba-5331-a0ea-45bc7102139f)Chapter Two (#ub94723cb-38c7-52d3-81a1-b030365beca0)Chapter Three (#uf384f55c-429d-5451-aa6a-5066ec18e2f2)Chapter Four (#uebdd84cf-7fd6-584c-8816-794bf176ac3f)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Rafe Was A Survivor.

He would survive this trip, as he had survived gunshot wounds and raging fevers.

However, the pain would be intense.

He reviewed everything he’d learned since he’d arrived in Texas. Some of that knowledge would have been better left untouched. He’d been content with his life. Content with his solitude. Content not needing anybody, not wanting anybody.

All of that had changed now.

Now he knew what it was to wake up with Mandy in his arms. He knew the scent of her, the taste of her....

Being with her last night had been the culmination of every fantasy he’d ever dreamed since he left Texas. After this trip, he would no longer need imagination to conjure up the experience. Memories would haunt him. Forever....

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Silhouette Desire—where you’re guaranteed powerful, passionate and provocative love stories that feature rugged heroes and spirited heroines who experience the full emotional intensity of falling in love!

Wonderful and ever-popular Annette Broadrick brings us September’s MAN OF THE MONTH with Lean, Mean & Lonesome. Watch as a tough loner returns home to face the woman he walked away from but never forgot.

Our exciting continuity series TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB continues with Cinderella’s Tycoon by Caroline Cross. Charismatic CEO Sterling Churchill marries a shy librarian pregnant with his sperm-bank baby—and finds love.

Proposition: Marriage is what rising star Eileen Wilks offers when the girl-next-door comes alive in the arms of an alpha hero. Beloved romance author Fayrene Preston makes her Desire debut with The Barons of Texas Tess, featuring a beautiful heiress who falls in love with a sexy stranger. The popular theme BACHELORS & BABIES returns to Desire with Metsy Hingle’s Dad in Demand. And Barbara McCauley’s miniseries SECRETS! continues with the dramatic story of a mysterious millionaire in Killian’s Passion.

So make a commitment to sensual love—treat yourself to all six September love stories from Silhouette Desire!

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S 3010 Walden Ave., PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

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Lean, Mean & Lonesome

Annette Broadrick

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ANNETTE BROADRICK believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984, Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times Magazine as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best in its Series the Romantic Times W.I.S.H. award and the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

This book is dedicated to

Candy Kacena

1954-1998

I will always treasure your

beautiful gift of friendship.

You will not be forgotten.

One

A friend in need is a real pain in the ass.

Rafe McClain had muttered the thought to himself more than once in the past few days, but the utterance did nothing to change the present situation. Until the letter had arrived, Rafe hadn’t given friendships much thought. He’d been a loner for a long time, which was just the way he liked it.

Then Dan Crenshaw’s letter had turned up in mail that had finally found its way to him. As soon as he read the letter Rafe had been forcibly reminded of another life and time, one he’d dismissed from his conscious mind years ago.

The letter had been a plea for help and Rafe had known that, inconvenient as it was—and it was damned inconvenient—he couldn’t ignore Dan’s request. Thus, Rafe now battled jet lag on this, the final leg of a journey that had started many hours and tune zones ago.

He scratched his cheek and made a face at the feel of the rough surface against the pads of his fingers. He should have shaved during that last layover in Atlanta on his way to Texas. It was too late, now. They’d be landing in Austin in less than an hour.

He’d been flying for two days—waiting around in airports for the next available flight. Killing time. Wishing he knew what the hell was going on to cause the summons he’d received. He was long past being tired. Hell, he didn’t even know what day it was in the Central Time zone.

None of that mattered. He was doing what he could to respond to a friend’s summons.

Texas.

He hated the place. He hadn’t been in the state of his birth in twelve years. Not a hint of nostalgia stirred within him at the thought of his return. When he’d left with his high school diploma stuck in his back pocket, he’d vowed never to return.

So much for pledges. Dan Crenshaw was his best friend—probably his only friend if he were to be honest. They’d met in the fourth grade. The unspoken message in Dan’s note was that he knew he could count on Rafe, just as Rafe had always known that Dan would be there for him if he ever needed him.

He wished Dan had been a little more specific. Other than mentioning that he could use his help and hoping to see him at the ranch soon, Dan hadn’t indicated what kind of assistance he wanted or needed.

Rafe felt badly that his mail hadn’t caught up with him right away. The postmark showed the letter had been mailed five weeks ago. For all Rafe knew, he could be too late with whatever help he was supposed to be offering.

He’d tried to call Dan as soon as he got the letter, but there had been no answer, no answering machine and no way of knowing whether Dan was working somewhere on the ranch or actually gone.

Rafe had seen no other choice but to head back to the states. He had no idea whether or not his showing up at the C Bar C Ranch would accomplish anything positive.

He could think of a hell of a lot of negatives that could occur.

For one thing, he’d been warned by old man Crenshaw never to step foot on his ranch again. Of course, Dan’s father had been dead for the past five years, so he supposed he could ignore that particular threat.